Baba Yara Sports Stadium shut down for one month

The National Sports Authority (NSA) has closed down the Baba Yara Sports Stadium with immediate effect.

According to NSA, the venue will not host any events for a month as it undergoes maintenance.

The NSA has indicated that the venue will officially reopen on October 7 for Ghana's next home game in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The closure follows criticisms of its playing surface during Ghana’s 1-0 defeat to Angola in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.

The NSA has received backlash over poor maintenance of the venue over the past months, including handing it over for a church event a few weeks before Ghana's game against Angola.

The Baba Yara Stadium was given conditional approval to host the game after the NSA failed to get the venue to the required standard following the church event.

Black Stars head coach Otto Addo, after the defeat to Angola, pointed out that the awful state of the pitch contributed to the team’s lacklustre performance.

"It was unlucky for Mumin, but we made some errors even before that situation. But the pitch was not good, and we can’t overlook that," he said.

Ghana will host Sudan in their next game in the qualifiers. Meanwhile, Asante Kotoko, who use Baba Yara as their home venue for league matches, will resort to the Dr Kwame Kyei Stadium for their home games.

EE/EK